There’s one thing a production engineer should never be without: a good flashlight. This is especially true when you work live music shows – it’s dark, it’s loud, and most everything is painted black. I recently went looking for a flashlight I could rely on, and as it turns out, a familiar name makes a really solid one.

This is the Pelican 1910. It’s awesome. Not perfect, but so far it’s the best flashlight I’ve found for my needs. It’s conveniently small, takes a not-stupid battery (1x AAA), is bright, has a clip that can’t fall off, and doesn’t use a screw mechanism for on-off. I don’t need an awkward belt holster to carry it around, and it’s made of solid metal. Also, I’ve relied on the Pelican name for as long as I can remember, so I’m reasonably confident it won’t explode at an inopportune time.

Anyway, I thought I’d share. Reliable tools can make or break a production.